ThePundertaker
Member
So we're all probably familiar with the many charts circulating the internet that shows how nutrient uptake is affected by pH range. We're also all equipped with EC/TDS meters to know the total concentration of nutes in the liquid. But my interest is in how one would determine the 'ideal' nutrient ratios for a given strain, even if there are different ideal ratios at different points in the life cycle.
My question is: how would one rigorously determine the exact ratios that a given plant was uptaking nutrients from a liquid solution?
For example, if I filled my reservoir with a certain N-P-K ratio, is there a way I can measure the change to that ratio after a time period, and thus fine tune it? Probably some relevant scientific methods out there I don't know of...
(By the way, I'm familiar with the Lucas formula. However, I'm also aware that this formula is decades old, and probably was determined through trial and error rather than direct measurements of individual nutrients.)
What I'm imagining is the ability to hone in on a near-exact feeding ratio for a given strain at each phase in its growth, leading to the following benefits:
My question is: how would one rigorously determine the exact ratios that a given plant was uptaking nutrients from a liquid solution?
For example, if I filled my reservoir with a certain N-P-K ratio, is there a way I can measure the change to that ratio after a time period, and thus fine tune it? Probably some relevant scientific methods out there I don't know of...
(By the way, I'm familiar with the Lucas formula. However, I'm also aware that this formula is decades old, and probably was determined through trial and error rather than direct measurements of individual nutrients.)
What I'm imagining is the ability to hone in on a near-exact feeding ratio for a given strain at each phase in its growth, leading to the following benefits:
- Maximizing cost efficiency of used nutrients (no wasted/drained nutes)
- Optimizing plant nutrient uptake and growth rate
- Increase the success of a no-change RDWC build by avoiding a toxic buildup of unconsumed nutrients